The doors are set to officially open later this week at the new Stokesley home of the North East’s biggest building society.
Newcastle Building Society has created a new open plan branch at 36 High Street, over the road from its previous branch in the town, as part of an ongoing multi-million pound investment programme across the whole of its branch network.
The Society is holding a special event for customers and local residents at the new branch from 11am on Thursday 5 September, with Bob Roberts, chairman of trustees at the town’s Globe Community Library, being invited to cut the ribbon to mark its official opening.
The new branch is designed to provide customers with better access to services, information and advice, as well as offering improved meeting spaces in which to discuss all aspects of personal financial planning.
Local firm Prodrive Shopfitting acted as the main contractor for the project.
Newcastle Building Society is more than halfway through an ambitious branch improvement programme which will see work on new or improved facilities in every part of its existing branch network, with new branches and community hubs being opened in a number of locations across the North East and Yorkshire.
Stuart Miller, customer director of Newcastle Building Society, says: “Our new Stokesley branch looks fantastic and we hope as many local people will come along to take a look for themselves at the result of our latest investment in their town.
“While many financial institutions are closing branches across the region, we are continuing to reaffirm our long-term commitment to our High Street presence by investing heavily in maintaining, enhancing and expanding a modern branch network.
“We strongly believe our future lies in contributing to the sustainable success of local communities like Stokesley, and the vibrant, busy location that we’ve chosen for our impressive new branch very much reflects this approach.
“We’ve had lots of local interest in the new branch as work on it has progressed, and we’re excited to now be sharing what we’ve created.”
TRANSFORMING NEWCASTLE BUILDING SOCIETY’S BRANCH NETWORK
| Timeline | Working on | Completions | Investment |
| 2018/2019 | 12 new branch refurbs / upgrades to go
(scheduled for 2019) …………………………. Whitley Bay Hexham Barnard Castle (new) Consett South Shields Hawes (new) Wooler (new) Bishop Auckland (new) |
19 new branch concepts completed (and counting…)
………………………… Stokesley Berwick Ponteland Carlisle Gosforth Ashington Whickham Morpeth Penrith Cramlington Yarm Darlington Alnwick North Shields Newcastle Northumberland St Newcastle Portland House Gateshead Chester Le Street Sunderland Durham |
More than £3m invested so far;
up to £3m investment to come |
| 2020 | Hartlepool
Middlesbrough West Denton |